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Jessica Murphy, Parliamentary Bureau

OTTAWA - Interpol issued a red notice for international eco-fugitive Paul Watson on Tuesday at the request of Costa Rican authorities, making him a wanted man worldwide.

The Toronto-born founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) skipped bail in Germany in late July, where he'd been arrested on a Costa Rican warrant for a violent 2002 confrontation with shark hunters. He'd been arrested in Germany in May.

"Based on Mr. Watson's failure to satisfy the bail conditions set by the German court and the additional information provided by Costa Rica concerning the underlying charges, it was concluded that a Red Notice could be issued," a statement from the police agency said.

Known for ramming boats and throwing nausea-inducing acid at whalers, the SSCS lost its charitable status in Canada, but it remains a registered charity in the U.S.

Interpol has had a blue notice out for Watson since 2010, as Japanese authorities look for help finding him in relation to Sea Shepherd attacks on whaling boat crews.

A red notice is the highest bulletin the international policing body issues but isn't an arrest warrant.

Still, it means Watson could be arrested and possibly extradited from any of Interpol's 190 member countries.